SIGISMUND, worthily surnamed the GREAT, King of Poland, was the youngest son of Casimir IV. and was born at Kozienic6, 1467. He was chosen grand ifuke of Lith uania, 1506, and succeeded to the kingdom of Poland on Dec. 8 of the same year. The affairs of Poland and Lithuania were at that time in a sad condition; the southern portions of the country reduced almost to a desert by the ravages of the Tartars, while the east was continually in dread of the Russians, who had become an independent, united, and powerful monarchy. The Russians invaded Lithuania, and conquered some provinces, but Sigismund gained a brilliant victory over them at Orsza on the Dnieper (July 14, 1508). Bogdan, prince of Moldavia and Wallachia, now invaded the southern provinces, as that semi-barbarous race were accustomed to do without let or hindrance; but he was so decisively routed on the banks of the Dniester, that he gladly agreed td acknowledge himself a vassal of Poland. Disregarding the suggestions of the pope to head a crusade against the Turks, Sigismund next read the Tartars, through his gen.; Ostrogski, a very forcible lesson, in 1512, against aggressive practices, which cost them 27,000 men, and assured the tranquillity of frontier for a long period. His alliance in 1513 with Stephen Zapoli, voyvode of Transylvania, whose daughter, Barbara, he also married, alarmed the emperor Maximilian, who incited the Russians to resume their aggressions, which that ill-advised nation cheerfully agreed to do; paying dearly for their rashness, fur their army of 80,000, which had invaded Lithuania, was met and cut to pieces (Sept. 8, 1514) by Ostrogski, with 32,000 men, at Orsza, leaving its standards. cannons, and other arms, 2 generals, 37 princes, 6,000 prisoners, and 30,000 dead in the possession of the enemy. Subsequent invasions of Id oseovites and Tartars were repelled
as before, and a rebellion of the Wallachs was punished by numerous defeats, chief of which was that of Obertyn (1531). The insolence of the Teutonic order, who had invaded Polish Prussia, was effectually chastised by Sigismund, who defeated their grand master Albert, his own nephew, in two great battles, in the latter of which the knights were assisted by the Danes (1520). In 1525 he agreed to confer bn Albert the title of duke of Prussia (now known as East Prussia), on condition of fealty and homage. The dukes of Prussia continued as vassals of the Polish crown till 1657. In 1526 Sigismund alone of the monarchs of Christendom lent aid to Hungary against the formidable array of Solyman the magnificent, and a numerous force of Polish cavaliers fought bravely on the fatal field of Mohacz (1526). The only other important event of Sigismund's reign was the introduction and extension of Lutheranism in Poland, a change which Sigis• mond (lid nothing to prevent, only taking precautions, and sometimes severe ones,. against its affecting the civil and political condition of the country. It is told of him that, when John Eck exhorted him to take severe measures with the Lutherans, whom he compared to goats among the sheep (" the faithful Catholics"), Sigismund replied that he was desirous of being "king of goats as well as king of sheep." After a long and glorious reign, Sigismund died at Cracow, April 1, 1548, leaving the character of a just, wise, and magnanimous prince, who had restored to his country its ancient perity, and had raised it from the very feet of its enemies to a worthy superiority over them.